Thursday, June 30, 2011

So you'd like to... Indie Authors you should be checking out




So you'd like to... Indie Authors you should be checking out

The following list includes books from a group of awesome indie authors. Hard work has gone in each of these works and there is a wide variety of books to choose from. Please take the time to view these books and the proud indie authors who put the hard work in them. Not all books from these authors are listed here but they can easily be found on their own Amazon author pages or you can also search for these authors online. These rising stars are sure to please. Every appetite can be filled here so dig in and enjoy!


The following are the books that are in guide #1

Apolo Drakuvich

Transfection

Life is But a Dream

The Shadow at the Gate (The Tormay Trilogy)

If You Go Into The Woods

The Mike Murphy Files and Other Stories

Rojuun (Willden Trilogy)

Coexist (Keegan's Chronicles)

Anilyia (Willden Trilogy)

Expert Assistance

The Sagas of Surgard the Traveler

Rise of the Raven

The Sable City (The Norothian Cycle)

THE DEMON IS IN THE DETAILS (The Immortal Protector Series)

Republic: A Novel of America's Future

Xenolith

Peregrin

Dorothea's Song

3/17

Trouble Down South and Other Stories

Slave Auction

DATING MY VIBRATOR (and other true fiction)

The Eyes of the Dead (A Vetala Cycle Novel)

I Zombie I

The Hawk and the Sparrow (Quick Reads 2011)

Cold My Heart: A Novel of King Arthur

Footsteps in Time: A Time Travel Fantasy (The After Cilmeri Series Book One)

My Sexy Alpha Bad Boy (Werewolf Romance)

Black Diamond Death (A Sloane Monroe Novel)

Chop Suey (A Darby Stansfield Thriller)

New World Orders

New Beginnings (Selected Poems of Steven R. Drennon)

My Boyfriend's Back

Blood Knot

Cloud Nine : A Paranormal Romance of the Guardians of Man

Along Came a Demon (Whisperings) (Whisperings Paranormal Mystery)

Miya Black, Pirate Princess I: Adventure Dawns

Her Book of Shadows (Scott Riker Mystery #01)

Chosen (The Guardians of the Word)

That Bear Ate My Pants!

Cel & Anna: A 22nd Century Love Story

Delivered to Eternity, An Alesta the Vampire Book

An Unwilling Baroness

Barbary Point

Sunset (Pact Arcanum)

Mental Shrillness

Mad Gods Redux (Predatory Ethics)

Fergyville Episode 1: The New Plan (Novelette)

Big Dragons Don't Cry (A Dragon's Guide to Destiny)

Accept One - Book Two of The Tether (The Tether Saga)

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The San Pinto Times interviews David Gaughran


The San Pinto Times welcomes author David Gaughran. Gaughran brings the weird and quirky to life and his works are always entertaining.












***
Author Name: David Gaughran
Book Title(s): If You Go Into The Woods & Transfection
Book Category/Genre: Short Stories – Literary/Quirky & Science Fiction
Link to book(s): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004YTI01Y & http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051ZG7AG/
Any other links you would like to share:
Blog: http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Gaughran/208695969152516
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DavidGaughran


Tell us what the book is about:

If You Go Into The Woods is a two-story collection of creepy tales. The title story is about a small boy who gets more than he bargained for when he is drawn off the forest path, and the second story The Reset Button is about a man with a memory problem, but instead of him not being able to remember anyone, nobody can remember him. Both have a Twilight Zone feel.




Transfection is another short – this time with an old-school science fiction vibe. It starts Dr. Carl Peters, a molecular biologist whose dangerous obsession with his research threatens to ruin his life, and bring him into conflict with some very powerful people.









What would you say the theme of the book is?
Both stories in If You Go Into The Woods are, in one sense, about people who aren’t in control of their lives. They both want to be, but have no idea how to get to that point.

Transfection touches on a very basic fear – how safe is the food that we put into our bodies every day. Will genetically modified food have consequence down the line that we can’t even imagine. What could those be?

Do you have a favorite character from your novel(s)?
Because I am in a sadistic mood this morning, I have to say Linus Eriksson from The Reset Button. He’s such a loser. Everything he touches turns to crap. It would be comical if it weren’t so tragic.

What motivates you to write? Do you write everyday?
I think all writers have a kind of madness flowing in their veins, and writing acts as a kind of outlet. Without being able to vent this craziness on the page, our lives would probably spin out of control. I try and write something every day. I think that’s important. I know from taking breaks before that it’s hard to get back into the swing of things again, so keeping it up on some level is important.

Who would be most interested in this novel?
I think anyone that likes weird, quirky stories will love If You Go Into The Woods. They are a little bit creepy, a little bit unsettling, something is off, something is not quite right.

Fans of old-school idea-driven science fiction (now there’s an unwieldy label) like Ray Bradbury or Philip K. Dick should get a kick out of Transfection. There are no spaceships, no aliens, no alternate planets, just a guy who you can’t decide if he has discovered something crazy or is going crazy himself.

In both cases, I think my stories will appeal to people who like to be left with more questions than answers at the end.

What prompted you to write the book?
Most of my ideas come from conversations with friends. We sit around wondering “what if”. Some come from things I want to do in real life but they are too crazy or expensive or dangerous. Fiction lets you live vicariously through your characters, which is better for all concerned!

Who are your favorite authors?
I could name 20, and name a different 20 tomorrow, but off the top of my head, Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Haruki Murakami, Roddy Doyle, John McGahern, Louis de Bernieres, AM Homes, HP Lovecraft, Juan Pedro Gutierrez, Patrick McCabe, Jeffrey Eugenides, and Gary Shteyngart.

Would one of your books be a good movie?
Transfection would be a GREAT movie. I could see it as a taut psychological thriller with science fiction elements - camera up close - tracking one man’s descent into the abyss.

What is your dream job?
There’s a million things I would like to do. Writing is #1 though. I would do that for free.

What projects do you have planned for the future?
I’m just sending a new book off to my editor today actually. Hope to have that out in a couple of weeks. It’s called Let’s Get Digital: not just how to self-publish, why to self-publish. It’s going to have 60,000 words of essays, articles, and how-to guides, with contributions from 33 bestselling indie authors. It’s going to be $2.99 on Amazon, but the PDF version will be free on my blog, so keep an eye out for that.

At the end of the summer, I will release my real baby - A Storm Hits Valparaíso – a historical adventure starring San Martín and his army of thieves, rogues, mercenaries, slaves, and prostitutes as they fight to free Argentina from the Spanish Empire.

G.W. Jefferies interview for the week of 6/27/11




G.W. Jefferies was hosted on author Julia Crane's website this week. Lots of fun and a big thanks goes out to Julia Crane!

Check out the interview here.

Great news for Apolo Drakuvich! Apolo will be on the bargainebooks blog later today.


Isn't this an awesome cover???? It sure is! It's also a great read! Check out Coexist on Amazon.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Woman dies of heart attack caused by shock of waking up at her OWN funeral

Woman dies of heart attack caused by shock of waking up at her OWN funeral


Happy Friday! Okay, this deserves a WTF rating for a news article. I've heard stories about people coming back from the dead after a few minutes or for an hour but nothing quite like this. Pretty crazy...

This isn't really ebook related but it will probably help some write a creepy or odd story.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Ebooks by Kurt Vonnegut




EBOOKS BY KURT VONNEGUT

List:
Bagombo Snuff Box (v1)
Bluebeard v3.0
Breakfast of Champions
Cats Cradle
Deadeye Dick
Galapagos
God Bless You Dr Kevorkian
God Bless You Mr Rosewater
Happy Birthday Wanda June
Harrison Bergeron v1.0
Hocus Pocus
Jailbird
Mother Night
Player Piano
Slapstick (or Lonesome no More!)
Slaughterhouse-Five
The Sirens of Titan
Timequake


Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (November 11, 1922-April 11, 2007) was an American novelist known for works blending satire, black comedy, and science fiction, such as Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), Cat's Cradle (1963), and Breakfast of Champions (1973).

Kurt Vonnegut is a master of contemporary American literature. His black humor, satiric voice, and incomparable imagination first captured America's attention in The Sirens of Titan in 1959 and established him as "a true artist" with Cat's Cradle in 1963. He is, as Graham Greene has declared, "one of the best living American writers."

The San Pinto Times author interview with Cheryl Shireman




Author Name: Cheryl Shireman

Book Title(s): Life is But a Dream & Broken Resolutions

Book Category/Genre: Fiction, women

Link to book(s):
Amazon Life is But a Dream
Amazon Broken Resolutions

Any other links you would like to share:

Website http://cherylshireman.com/
Twitter http://twitter.com/cherylshireman
Facebook http://facebook.com/CherylShiremanBooks
Facebook http://facebook.com/cherylshireman

Tell us what the book is about: Life is But a Dream is a book about a woman, Grace Adams, who is facing an empty nest and the possible demise of her marriage. To escape her problems, she goes to a secluded lake cabin to redefine her life. Of course, nothing turns out like she expected. It is thought-provoking, occasionally frightening, and often funny.

What would you say the theme of the book is? The novel is about the strength of the human spirit, the invincibility, and the courage we all have buried within.

Do you have a favorite character from your novel(s)? My favorite character is the main character, Grace. She begins the novel as a somewhat passive woman. Her entire life has been defined by her role as mother and wife. Now that those roles seem to be coming to an end, she feels as if her identity is gone. Grace is alive, but she is merely counting the minutes until she can crawl back into bed and escape her sense of helplessness and loss. Then something happens that forces Grace to not only see her life in a different light, but to also forces her to take action in ways she never imagined.

What motivates you to write? Do you write every day? I have no idea what motivates me to write. I only know that I must. My goal is to write every day. So far, that has not happened. Writing is something that I have always done, but it is something that I have always done part time. Real life – marriage, three children, divorce, going back to college, remarriage, graduate school, and work – always took precedence over the writing. Like many others, I wrote when I could. And even now, it is difficult to write every day. I tend to write two or three days a week for long stretches at a time (12-14 hours). I am trying to change that, however. My new goal is to write every day for maybe 5-6 hours. I made that goal a couple of weeks ago. I haven’t been able to do it yet. But I am still trying.

Who would be most interested in this novel? I think my primary reader is a woman who loves to pick up a novel and be swept away into another world. She likes realistic novels and characters that she can relate to. She is passionate, loving, believes in dreams coming true, and has a sense of humor. The thing I hear most often from readers is that they can relate to Grace. That is my ideal reader!

What prompted you to write the book? A book usually starts with a single idea. In this case, I thought about a woman going to a secluded lake cabin to redefine her life. Then I started thinking about her background. What would drive her there? Where are her loved ones? What is she afraid of? What does she most want out of life? Then I start writing.

Who are your favorite authors? John Steinbeck and Elizabeth Berg. My favorite Steinbeck novel is East of Eden. I also love his book Journal of a Novel: the East of Eden Letters. It is a book of letters he wrote while writing East of Eden. It is a fascinating look into the life of a writer – how he works and how the thinks. One of the best books about writing ever. And I love Elizabeth Berg because she makes writing look so easy. Her characters seem real and I care about them. I hope that readers feel the same about my books.

Would one of your books be a good movie? My second novel, Broken Resolutions, is very movie-like. In fact, while writing it I stopped at two different point and thought about turning it into a screenplay instead of a novel. But I like the form of a novel, so I kept writing. The movement is fast-paced and there is a lot of dialogue. The story is about eight friends who get snowed into a home during their annual New Year’s Eve party. While writing it, I could “see” the action and it has always felt more like a movie than a novel to me. It was a very fun book to write and quite a bit different than Life is But a Dream.

What is your dream job? Writer. Always has been. At any point in my life, if you were to ask me this question, the answer would have been the same. And now I am living that dream. There is nothing in the world that I would rather be doing than sitting in my home, looking out at the lake, dressed in some sloppy clothes, and writing novels on my laptop.

What projects do you have planned for the future? When I finished writing Life is But a Dream, I thought about writing a sequel. At the time, I dismissed the idea. I thought that I was probably just reluctant to say goodbye to the main character, Grace. So I moved on and wrote Broken Resolutions. Then the emails started arriving from readers who were asking me if there was going to be a sequel to Life is But a Dream. I started giving it some serious thought and immediately I came up with the opening scene – which I think readers will love! So, that is my current project. And I love the opportunity to “hang out” with Grace again.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Independent author John Locke joins Amazon's million-Kindle-seller club, but at what cost?

Independent author John Locke joins Amazon's million-Kindle-seller club, but at what cost?

Big congrats goes out to John Locke. Awesome work!



Info from Amazon
John Locke is the international best-selling author of seven Donovan Creed novels, all of which have made the Amazon/Kindle Top 20 Best Seller's List! Saving Rachel held the #1 spot for more than three weeks and remains one of the all-time best selling ebooks in history! Locke has had four books in the Top 10 at the same time, and six in the Top 20! His Emmett Love western, Follow the Stone, has been ranked #1 Western since the first week after release. John lives in Kentucky, where he is working on his second Emmett Love Western, Don't Poke the Bear!

Every 7 seconds, 24 hours a day, a John Locke novel is downloaded somewhere in the world!

This biography was provided by the author or their representative.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Barnes & Noble: We’ve Captured 25% of Ebook Market

Barnes & Noble: We’ve Captured 25% of Ebook Market

I wonder what percentage Amazon controls?? Barnes and Noble recently update their website of which I approve. The nook is a cool product but the kindle is in the lead. Amazon needs to be careful though and make sure to keep up with the technology. At any moment, Barnes and Noble or any other site could topple the Amazon kindle empire.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Sue Owen - Indie Author


The Sword's Journey (Chasing History) [Kindle Edition]

Editor’s Bio
Sue Owen



Sue Owen was born and raised on the west coast having move to Oregon when she was 11. She raised three kids on her own and has been writing and reading since she was old enough to hold a book.

Although only recently published Sue has edited many published novels including Pursuit of Midnight by Sharon Nelson as well as her other book, Lexi Maeheart released last month. Sue has been editing and doing rewrites for several authors for a number of years. Sue’s own works include many technical journal articles as well as three unpublished manuscripts including a couple of children’s book.

Having recently joined Pink Phoenix Press, Sue hopes that her unique style of editing will fit in with the Pink Phoenix expectations. She is always up front about her evaluations drawing from her many real-world experiences as well as writing achievements to salt her book reviews. She is critical but fair, honest but constructive in her critiques.

If you have a book you’d like reviewed or are interested in Sue’s editing expertise, email her through the Pink Phoenix web site at pink.phoenix.2011@gmail.com.

The Sword’s Journey
Have you ever wondered what happened to the things that made history history? Where did Paul Revere’s lantern go when someone took it out of the window the morning after? Or the flag that George Washington held crossing the Delaware? Did he even have a flag? What would have happened had those items never been there in the first place???

The adventure begins with three people being ripped from their time and plopped down in 6508. The Wizard has discovered that someone has been stealing history. He needs someone to steal it back and replace it before its missed and messes with the future timelines. The trick is finding the right way to return history and not let anyone know things aren’t the way they were supposed to be.

Oh and yeah. There’s the little matter of the people wanting to stop them. And not caring if that is a permanent stop or not.

Josh, Meri and Digger have their work cut out for them. Along with their companions they have to fight bad guys, fight magic, learn about their own magic and use their skills, cunning and wits to chase history and put it back where it belongs.

Excerpt:

“Umm. Thanks but I think you have me confused with someone else, Sir,” Josh said, trying to look confused and feeling apprehensive.

The little man giggled, a startling sound coming from his mature, slightly weathered face. Shaking his head slightly he mumbled slightly under his breath, “You said you would probably say that.” He handed the pile of books to Damion, “Please, kind prince. Could you hold these for me for just a slight minute? I have something that belongs to Master Josh.” He searched first one pocket than another mumbling, “I know I had it here. I always carry it just in case. Where can it be now?”
Louder. “Ah. Found it!” He took a few steps with his hand out, clearly wanting to give something to Josh. Josh backed up slightly, “I don’t know what ….” He started to stammer but then stopped and reached out and took what the small wizard was offering.

It was a small, round rubber ball with a smiley face on it. The face was a faded yellow and seemed to be worn with time but was still, clearly a smiley face. Josh looked at the wizard now really confused. “Where did you …” he started to say. The wizard had turned back to Damion, taking the books from his arms. “Thank you, kind sir. Now I’ll be on my way,” completely ignoring Josh who was still standing with his hand slightly out, holding the ball.

“Perhaps Master Josh would like to come visit me in my laboratory tomorrow, say 10 of the o’clock? Could you give him directions, kind prince?” When the prince heartily agreed, looking from Josh to Merlin, Merlin bowed slightly to both men, turned and hurried away.
“What was that all about,” Damion asked, turning to Josh. Josh’s face had gone very white. Turning, dazed, to the prince, he realized he was still holding the ball. He quickly stuffed it into the pocket of his pants and said “I don’t know. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow. Shall we go eat?” The last thing he wanted to do was try to explain anything to this man, let alone something that he was just now realizing might not be easy to explain.

Josh and Damion found themselves in a small tavern off the main street. The food was excellent, much to Josh’s surprise. The steak was huge and very well cooked served with some kind of vegetable and potato mix and the customary bread and brew. The two men found they had a lot of interests in common and were soon fast friends. Josh passed the time trying not to grill Damion on events and happenings around the area but found the man fully informed of what was going on in the neighboring farms and providences. Damion was more than happy to talk about what he laughingly called his “kingdom-to-be” as he was second or third regent set to inherit the crown. In his words, “that’ll happen when dragons learn to talk,” giving Josh the impression it wasn’t something that would happen anytime soon.

The men talked of women and hunting and Damion was quick to share local gossip with Josh, Josh telling him it had been a while since he’d passed this way which was his explanation for the incident with Merlin.
After more than several pints, the men started exchanging ghost stories and things from their childhood. Josh was careful even drunk telling Damion of things keeping to stories he knew could have happened any time. But one thing that Josh found rather interesting in Damion’s ramblings was a story about a local lake that Damion claims was haunted. Ghosts were a fairly normal occurrence according to Damion but this particular ghost seemed to be haunting his family specifically. In Damion’s story, he was out hunting with his uncle, the King, when he was perhaps seven or eight and they happened on the lake just as it was getting sundown. His uncle was shooting a grouse that had sprung up and was heading out over the water. Damion was getting ready to fire should his uncle miss, which he rarely did, and was standing slightly behind him.

His uncle fired, and the bird went down into the water; the dogs heading to get it as they were trained to do. Two of the dogs stopped at the water, baying and refusing to go further. One dog went into the water up to his chest then abruptly turned and, barking hysterically, ran back onto shore and to the king’s feet, stopped barking and lay shaking against his boots. The other dogs, followed at full run.

Out on the lake, the two men could see a shimmering on the water’s surface. It was twilight so very hard to see details. The water appeared to be rippling but the ripples weren’t reaching the edges of the lake where the two men were standing. Then a haze began to form along the edges of the rippling water. In a few seconds the haze turned into the form of a woman but not like any woman Damion had ever seen. She was wispy and urethral with flowing hair and clothing. She wasn’t wearing a dress but it was more like draped across her body which was in constant movement.

She made a dreamy, echoing cry like the sound a pigeon makes when he catches wind of his mark but it was very faint; Damion could barely hear it. She sighed a few more times then slowly dissipated.

Damion looked at his uncle with wide eyes. His uncle didn’t look startled at all but pensive, as if he was thinking very deeply about something of paramount proportions. “Uncle?” he said, but his uncle ignored him, turned and started back to the castle, calling the dogs. When they had reached the castle bridge, Arthur turned to Damion and said, “Forget you saw her, son. She only appears in moments of great tragedy but her warning will not go unheeded. I will consider it carefully, I assure you.” He patted Damion on his head and swiftly went into the castle and his rooms.

Damion was confused because he didn’t hear words from the lady, only sounds. He called her the Lady of the Lake for lack of a name. To this day, he didn’t have a clue who she was or what she said to his uncle and he’d not been back to the lake.

After the meal, the two men walked to Josh’s inn, parting with plans to meet in the morning for the trip to the castle and Merlin.
The next morning, Meri woke Josh up early to join her and Digger for breakfast. Josh’s head was slightly pounding and he was surprised considering the amount of alcohol he had consumed the night before. During breakfast, he filled Meri and Digger in on his encounter with Merlin. He held out the ball for them to see. Meri asked puzzled “I don’t get it.”

“This ball was given to me by my mother when I was 6 or so. She had it made for me at a local fair so I know it is unique. I don’t know why I kept it all those years but it is and was always in my pocket. However, the day the Wizard came to get me, I didn’t have it. I had emptied out my pockets the night before and didn’t put it back in. It was or should be at home in 2007 where I left.” Meri and Digger were in shock. Finally, Meri said what they were all thinking, “How’d it get to Merlin?”

“We are back in time,” he said with a shrug. “What’s to say this is the only time we are going to do this? What if this isn’t our only trip. What if we come back again only next time in an earlier time. At some point, we have to go back to 2007 so I can get my ball. I don’t know. This is all new to me, too,” he said with a frustrated sigh. He turned the ball over and over. It was worn as if it had been around for a long time. The yellow was faded and almost gone but still visible. “Its faded a lot since I last saw it,” he continued musing to himself, “but it’s definitely the same ball.”

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The Hylander Diner


I stopped by The Hylander Diner for a twenty question interview. It was a lot of fun.

Sue Owen - The Sword's Journey (Chasing History) [Kindle Edition]


The Sword's Journey (Chasing History) [Kindle Edition]

Product Description
Josh, Digger and Meri were rudely ported out of their time and far into the future by the Wizard. King Arthur’s sword, Excalibur, is missing from its timeline. Without the sword in its proper place in history, everything from that point forward could change. Josh and his new found friends must find a way to return the sword to Arthur that won’t upset the timeline. However, the Bard’s have other plans. They want to rule time. They would do anything to stop the return of the sword. Is it murder to eliminate a timeline so that person was never born?
Follow Josh and his friends back in time to Camelot. Meet the Lady in the Lake, the King’s nephew and Merlin. Rejoice as things go right and cry when a dear friend is erased from time. Did they do something wrong? Can it be fixed or was the Sword’s Journey the catalyst to the world’s demise?

Author Info on Sue Owen:
My first book "Chasing History-The Sword's Journey" is released and available at Amazon (http://amzn.to/jCYQw3), Smashwords (http://bit.ly/jf9oxN), Barnes & Noble (http://bit.ly/iPlont) and Breakthrough Bookstore (http://bit.ly/jCHVMg). It is an historical fantasy involving time travel, wizards and swords.

I am a writer, editor, reviewer. I work full time as a project manager but spend most of my free time doing something involving writing or reading. I live in Oregon with my cat Isabelle. My kids are all grown so I can finally have 'me' time which I more than enjoy.

Check out my blog at bysueowen.blogspot.com.

I've started supporting indie writers with a blog and information at pinkphoenixrr.blogspot.com. If you are an indie writer I'm happy to review your work. Just drop me an email at pink.phoenix.2011@gmail.com.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Free - The Black God's War: A Novella Introducing a new Epic Fantasy [Kindle Edition]


The Black God's War: A Novella Introducing a new Epic Fantasy [Kindle Edition]


Review
"I enjoyed this novella from its opening chapter to its gripping end ... The writing style ... immediately put me at ease in the setting." --Red Adept Reviews, 5 Stars

"If you want to read a talented new author with a flair for storytelling, you should definitely pick up this story." --Debra L. Martin's Review, Two Ends of the Pen Blog


"Siregar's prose is smooth and for his first novella he has his sense of pacing nailed down ... Siregar's debut is an excellent example of the quality the indie author scene is capable of ... More like this, please."
--Signal dot Noise blog

"'The Black God's War' has all the right ingredients ... His characters are as passionate as his descriptive prose. The pacing is perfect ... This is a novella epic fantasy fans don't want to miss." --Bryan Thomas Schmidt's blog

Product Description

"Moses is a fine writer and is deserving of success, and I think that it will follow ... maybe his project will turn him into the next Amanda Hocking. Personally, I really enjoyed Moses's work."
--David Farland, NY Times Bestselling Author of The Runelords
_______

Her father-king wants war.

Her messianic brother wants peace.

The black god wants his due.

She suffers all the consequences.

King Vieri's war against the lands of Pawelon rages into its tenth year, and with the kingdom's holy savior, his son Caio, en route to the fighting in the storied canyon, victory ought to come soon. Feeling abandoned by his god, King Vieri forces young Caio to lead his army to victory.

The Black One, Lord Danato, tortures Lucia with nightly visions promising another ten years of bloodshed. She can no longer tell the difference between the waking world and Danato's nightmares. Lucia knows the black god too well; he entered her bed and dreams when she was ten.

As the epic battles rage, Lucia struggles to understand the messages of The Black One, while Caio wrestles with his conscience: Can someone who only wants to heal the world bring himself to kill another man?
_______

"An inventive tale with high command of craft."
--Scott Nicholson, Bestselling Kindle Author


A 27,000 word novella introducing a new epic fantasy novel by the same title (The Black God's War: The Epic Novel), currently scheduled for release in the summer of 2011. This novella is also an excerpt from the novel.

Monday, June 13, 2011



A Poem from The Wind Changed As I Lay Dying collection.


Rotten Love
The decaying heart
Just sat alone, useless
Only a few beats left
Unused, gone to waste
Love is rotten
When it isn’t in reach
When not touched
All is forgotten

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Dangerous Dog Ordinance in College Park





Dangerous Dog Ordinance in College Park

College Park (WAOK) Saying it’s acting in the interest of public safety, College Park officials will enact a “dangerous dog” registry next month that some critics say is very close to canine profiling.

How is this going to help or protect anybody? This is ridiculous and a complete waste of time and money. Do the dogs have to register for life? Do they need to go in and take paw prints? If they get groomed do they need to go in to the police station and take an updated photo?

Yes, that was silly, just like the stupid morons who put these rules in place. This is just wrong...wrong...wrong.

If you are interested in the dangers of registration of criminal offenders check out Apolo Drakuvich.

Steven R. Drennon - Author interview





Steven R. Drennon was born in Lawton, OK, where he first started writing poetry at the age of 15. Since then he has collected nearly one thousand poems that he has written over the years. Those poems have recently been released as six separate volumes of poetry. He will soon be adding two anthologies which will result in all of his poetry being available to the public for the first time ever.

In addition, he has written a number of works of fiction, and he is just beginning to publish those works. Steven recently published a fantasy novel titled "Rise of the Raven". He expects to release another fantasy novel titled "Three for Avadar" in June of 2011.

He is also working on an historical fiction series involving combat search and rescue. The series will be called "Lives on the Line", and the first volume will be released in late summer of 2011.

Currently Steven lives in San Antonio, TX with his wife and two youngest children.

Author's web site
http://www.drennon.com

Book title:
“Rise of the Raven”

Links to purchase
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004SYA75W/

Genre
Epic Fantasy

Moral or theme
Typical good vs. evil, with good triumphing in the end.



Where do you generally prefer to go when you write?
I have a desk that sits in a bay window area in my bedroom. At night, after the kids and my wife have gone to sleep, I will sit there and work for an hour or two.

How long have you been writing?
I first started writing over 35 years ago. I had several close brushes with traditional publishing, but ultimately never went that route.

How many books, and in which genre, have you written?
I have written two fantasy novels and six volumes of poetry. I will soon be releasing two suspense novellas as well as two poetry anthologies.

What inspired you to become a writer?
My grandfather on my mother’s side used to be such a wonderful storyteller. Because of him I decided that I wanted to be able to tell colorful stories that would entertain others, so I started writing them down and collecting them.

What do you most enjoy about writing?
I enjoy reading through my final draft after the last round of editing and feeling like I have accomplished something.

What steps do you take in starting a new book?
I usually come up with an idea for a story first, and then I sit down and start outlining it. I’m a strong believer in planning ahead and working from an outline. Next I identify all the major characters and try to develop a brief history and description of them. The final step before actually writing is to identify the major locations or scenes. This may include a few details regarding terrain or type of building.

Do you use a critique group or just trust your instincts?
I have a group of beta readers that I trust to give me honest feedback. Other than that, it’s pretty much all me. I used to ask friends and family to help review my work, but they were always saying positive things and never really gave me any constructive criticism, so I don’t do that anymore!

What advice would you give a new writer?
Don’t spend a lot of time promoting until you have at least three or four books out there. If someone likes your first book, they are highly likely to go look for another book you have written. If you don’t have one out there, then you lost a customer and you’ll have to try to earn that customer back. Your best promotional tool is your next book! I have six volumes of poetry that I have published, and I have found that many people who have bought one have gone back and bought two or three more. Several people have bought all six! Volume counts!

How many drafts do you usually have before deciding it's done?
I usually end of going through three drafts. I try to write everything according to my outline from start to finish. Then I read back through and modify any weak elements that I see. In fact, I sometimes leave some there during the first draft because I don’t want to get sidetracked with revisions. Then the third draft is my final round of editing and proofreading.

What would you do differently if you were just starting out today to become a writer?
I wouldn’t waste my team with sending out query letters and soliciting agents. The writer has so much more power and control today that we did even as recently as five years ago. It’s a brave new world!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Poem - Life, to a close


Life, to a close
The ride was long
Destiny found and met
No paths crossing
A simple life
A simple man
Coming to a close


The Wind Changed As I Lay Dying

Friday, June 3, 2011

facebook status update - 6/3/11

What's on my mind. This kool-aid needs some ice. I need to clean my desk. Dust...dust everywhere. Should have...could have...would have. I need to write. Why didn't I write before. Lazy, motivated, procrastinated. Need to learn some of them grammar skills. Breakfast. work. need breakfast..should do some work...foood.


I also posted several random quotes from "Back to the Future"

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Rhyme Generator

serveries, referees, reveries, belfries, carveries, reveres, refreezes, coffers, Dumfries, robberies, referrers, deliveries, suffers, enforces, conferees, liveries, refers, dewberries, draperies, reverses, reforges, gaffers, reefers, duffers, heifers, reburies, offers, differs, defers, recoveries, refreshes, sufferers, tempers, unfreezes, weepers, safaris, universes, vespers, wafers, surfers, twofers, woofers, suffrages, traverses, ovaries, temporizes, confers, scoffers, pulverises, weavers

These are the words which rhyme with 'Jefferies'

I found this cool "Rhyme Generator" at the poemofquotes.com website. This is a nifty little tool that you might find useful or at the very least fun to play with.

Risks

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.
- Muhammad Ali

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Interview with indie author Dean Frank Lappi




Author Name: Dean Frank Lappi

Book Title: Black Numbers

Book Category/Genre: Dark Fantasy
Link to Book: Black Numbers


My official Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorDeanFrankLappi
My Blog: http://deanlappi.blogspot.com/

Author BIO: I was born in 1968 in Virginia Minnesota, a place located on what is commonly referred to as "The Iron Range" because of the extensive iron mining in the area. I have Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in English, and I work as a Web Content Manager in my day job.

What is the book about? Black Numbers is about a land where true magic is created through advanced mathematics, and where sexuality is the key to expanding that power exponentially. Sid, a young genius, must battle a secret organization bent on capturing him for his power while avoiding an ancient and hermaphroditic creature whose sole purpose is to control his mind and powers through a strange psycho-sexual connection.

Who are your favorite authors? I have hundreds of favorite authors, but here are a few: Harry Harrison, Alan W. Eckert, James Clavell, Terry Goodkind, J. Robert King, and Brian Lumley.

What projects do you have planned for in the future? I am writing book two in the Black Numbers series called "Blood Numbers". I'm also writing a novel about dark matter and how an experiment goes wrong, as well a novel currently under secret wraps.

Do you have any writing rituals or writing schedule? The main ritual I have, although I don't know if it is really a ritual, is that I write best while listening to metal music, preferably Finnish/Swedish/German styles like Katatonia, Finntroll, Amon Amarth, Eisbrescher, etc.